Jonathan Egderp
by fotothen
Summary: John Egbert is depressed after an accident takes away his family. Dave Strider, who was dating John's sister at the time, hasn't spoken to him since. What will happen when Dave suddenly appears in John's life again? Trigger warnings for eating disorders, suicidal tendencies, death, psychoticness, etc. I don't own Homestuck.
1. Chapter 1

"Dave, I need you to do something for me." His voice was strained and horse.

"What is it, John?" I looked almost as bad as he did.

"Kill me." He seemed relieved.

Two Months Earlier

I walked through my house like I did every morning. I took a quick shower, then I skipped breakfast like I usually did. My appetite hadn't been as strong since it all happened. Alone with the memories of this house, that looked like it did before they all died, I was severely worn down.

I looked at the vast amount of harlequins that filled the living area. It had taken me forever to see that Dad put them out for me. Too bad I could never thank him.

I then took notice of my grandma's portrait hanging over the fireplace. "Nana," my voice laced with sadness, " I still don't understand why this happened. Dad, Jade, and Uncle Jake. I don't understand why I lived and they didn't." I stared at Nana's picture for a moment before sitting on the couch. "Dave doesn't even talk to me anymore. I can't take it another day. Nana, I want to die."

As if on cue, my phone rang. I wasn't even sure of why I had a phone anymore. No one talked to me. Looking at the screen revealed that the caller was none other than the mysterious Dave Strider.

"Yo, John, I'm coming to Washington soon, and I was wondering if I could crash at your place." I was amazed. After two years of silence, Dave Strider was on the phone with me.

"Dave, I don't know if that's-"

"I promise I won't put my shitty katanas in your fridge." What? Why would he want to put swords in the fridge? I had no clue.

"When? How long will you be here?"

"Tomorrow, and at least two weeks. I'm on tour." Tour? "I really did it, Man. I'm DJing all the time now. Only took nineteen years." I was a couple months younger than Dave and in my own nineteen years had only acquired the title of orphan.

"I guess you can stay if you want. I'll need to go shopping. There's not much food in the kitchen."

"John, have you been eating?" The king of all things cool and ironic actually sounded concerned.

"Yes." I lied.

"Good. Wouldn't want my best bro to starve to death." Why did he call me his "best bro"? He hadn't talked to me since the accident.

"Ha, yeah. See you tomorrow, Dave."

"Later, Egderp." That too? I though that name had passed. I was John EgBERT. Not EgDERP. Either way, I had some shopping to do.

I got the basics plus a LOT of apple juice. I remembered that it was Dave's ultimate favorite. I cleaned my entire house and washed the sheets from the spare room. Then, I went to bed. Tomorrow was a big day, and I was dreading it.

**A.N. Sorry that this is short, but I am testing the waters. I don't know if this is something other people would want to read.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ha ha, Uncle Jake, you're so silly!" Jade yelled with a smile on her face.

"That I am!" Jake laughed too. The entire family was in the car, driving back to the Egbert home. They had just picked Jake, their British cousin, up from the airport. He would be visiting for a week.

"Jake, what are we going to do with you?" Dad asked, chuckling slightly.

"I don't know Charles, but let's just chivvy along, shall we?" Everyone laughed again.

They came to a red light and shared more jokes, John managing to tell the best ones. Jade told some that she heard from Dave, whom she was in a happy relationship with even though it was a LONG distance type thing. As soon as the light turned green, Dad started going, but as they reached the middle of the intersection their car was suddenly sent flying to the right.

A drunk driver had raced through the red light and hit them, the main part of their vehicle striking the top left half of the Egbert's. Dad was killed on impact. Jade was killed when the car turned and struck the drunkard's. Jake was killed when the car hit a pole. John wasn't killed at all. He was horribly injured, but he was alive. He had lived. His family had left him behind.

"AHHHHHHHH!" A scream cut the silence in my bedroom as I awoke from my nightmare. It happened every night, but I had never gotten used to it. I didn't think such a thing is possible. I screamed for another minute, still believing that it was real. That I was back in that car. That I was telling jokes with my dad, uncle, and twin sister. A week after the crash, I woke up in the ICU. Dave had driven all the way from Texas to go to the funerals. I saw him once. He was the one to tell me they were all dead. They hadn't made it, but I did. I hadn't seen him since.

I couldn't go back to sleep after that, so I got up and took a hot shower. I looked myself over in the mirror as I put on my clothes. I was like a skeleton. I hadn't noticed that before. I could see all the bones in my body. I pulled out the old scale and stepped on it. 82. I weighed 82 pounds. Before the incident I was a healthy 130. Two years and 48 pounds. With as little as I've eaten, I thought I should have been dead already.

The doorbell rang around ten, and I went to answer it. I opened the door to see Dave towering over me. He was TALL. I was about 5'11", but he had to be at least 6'4". He was still just as lanky as I remembered. He had his ears gauged, and he had double lip piercings, one on each side of his face. His hair was so blond that it was almost white. His shirt was blood red. Skinny jeans, red converse, he looked like a punk, but it suited him.

"John." He sounded almost sad. Other than his mouth being slightly open, I couldn't read his expression. His eyes where hidden behind aviators.

"You're wearing the glasses I gave you." I was honestly surprised. I gave him those glasses for his thirteenth birthday. They still looked brand new.

"Yeah. What did you do?" His mouth formed a tight line across his face. I was guessing that he was upset or mad. "You said you had been eating."

I moved to let him inside then closed the door behind him. "I have been. Not a lot though." He sat his bags in the floor then suddenly turned and picked me up. "Dave, what are you doing?!" He sat me back down.

"You're so light. Shit, Man. How much do you even weigh?" I thought back to the scale.

"82."

"John. Oh my God." No turning back now.

"I bought some stuff yesterday. I don't know what you like to eat, but I got a lot of apple juice. Feel free to take whatever you like." I wanted to avoid the conversation I knew was coming. "Get your stuff, and I'll show you where the spare bedroom is."

He just stopped talking, let all emotion fall from his face, and picked up his belongings. I walked upstairs with him close behind. I opened the door to let him in. "Make yourself at home. The bathroom is down the hall on your right. If you need anything just tell me. You know, that kind of stuff." I went downstairs and sat on the couch.

"Hey, Dave! What do you want for lunch?" I yelled and he appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Umm, I don't know, John. A sandwich and some AJ?"

I shrugged "Sounds fine to me." We ate in silence. Dave ate two whole sandwiches, while I barely finished half of one. I didn't know how long I could hold out. I could feel his stare through the dark lenses. I had always wondered why he kept those on. I had never seen him without them. That whole section of his face was an unknown wonder.

"John, why don't you eat?" I looked up at him

"What do you mean? I'm eating right now."

"I know, but you can't even finish that sandwich. You haven't been eating, so your stomach shrank." It felt like a weight was in my stomach. It was two thirds food, one third guilt.

"I don't know, Dave. I haven't had the will to do anything in the last two years."

He didn't say anything for a minute, but he took a deep breath "I miss her."

"I know you do. I miss all of them."

"I loved her."

"I know you did. I loved all of them." 

"I'm sorry."

"Are you really?"

That hit Dave hard. He stiffened and quickly put a hand over his mouth. What happened next was totally unexpected though. He ripped off his shades and glared at me with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"D-Dave. You're eyes..." His irises were a shade I had never even heard of for humans. Bright, burning red eyes were staring at me. Staring through me.

"Dammit, John! I am sorry! I should have kept talking to you. You were my friend, and now you're all I have left of Jade, and I'm so sorry."

"Dave…" I messed up, but this needed to happen. We needed to understand each other. We needed to know what happened to each other during those two years. We needed it.

**A.N. A full-length chapter! I feel like this is kind of crappy, but oh well.**


	3. Chapter 3

Dave's POV

John just sat there silently. "I shouldn't have just distanced myself from you." I scrunched my eyes closed and put my hands on my face. "I'm so sorry, John. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Dave…" I looked up at him. "I'm sorry too…" He was crying. "I missed you so much."

"John I-"

"I forgive you." I stared at him in disbelief then slowly stood up and walked over to him, hugging him tightly but not tight enough to hurt him.

"Thank you." I whispered.

After about a minute, I put our plates in the sink and put his sandwich in a zip lock bag for later. We kind of had a better understanding for each other after that. It was totally rad. I felt comfortable enough around John to not wear my shades all the time. He was only the third to see my eyes, the other two being Bro and Jade. Bro raised me, so he obviously had seen them, though I hadn't ever seen his. It took me a long time to gather the guts to show Jade, but she thought they were cool.

I was born like this. Red eyes and basically white hair. My bro taught me to not show my emotions. He fought with me a lot to teach me to be strong. I got my first pair of shades as a small child, and I've worn some ever since. I did have pointy anime-esque shades, but when I turned 13, John sent me aviators. I decided that I liked them better, and I've done a pretty good job of making sure they don't get broken. I've rarely taken them off either, only when showering or sleeping.

Later that night while sitting on the couch and watching T.V. John turned to me. "Dave, why do you wear sunglasses all the time?"

I thought for a moment. "Because I'm a freak, and the world doesn't like freaks." He reached over and turned my face towards him then leaned back to his previous position.

"I don't think you're a freak. They're cool." I looked back at the television. John had insisted that we watch Con Air. Nic Cage had just tried to get off the plane.

"…You're too much like Jade…"

"Well we did happen to be twins."

"Can I… see her bedroom?" It was an odd request, but I wanted to see as much of her environment as possible. It would remind me of when she was alive and would laugh at my crappy jokes when we skyped. When we would blow each other kisses through our computers. When we were happy… I missed her.

John stood up. "Yeah. Come on." We walked up the stairs and to the left. "Here it is. I haven't gone in there since… You know."

"Yeah, I know." I went in and turned on the light to be bombarded by the color green and pictures of science things and frogs on the walls. I sat on her bed and moved a hand over the atom-patterned bedspread. It smelled nice in there. "Is this what she smelled like?"

John took a step in. "Yeah. She smelled just like this."

I plopped over on the bed and took a deep breath. "It's nice. It's almost like I'm sitting right next to her. Just chillin."

"I guess it is, isn't it?" John left, and I heard a door down the hall open and shut.

I laid on Jade's bed for a little longer then got up to find John. When I thought I had found the right door, I knocked. "John? You in there?" I heard sniffles. "John?" I opened the door and couldn't believe my eyes. It wasn't that he was crying, I expected that, it was his room. I mean, it was clean and all, but there were words written all over everything in bright blue paint. All of his posters of crappy movies, his game posters, even bare spots of wall were covered with words. They said things like loser, pathetic, and worthless. They all said terrible things.

"Did you do this, John?" He wasn't paying attention to me. "John!" His head snapped back to look directly at me. I spoke in a quiet yet stern voice. "Did. You. Do. This?" I felt like it was all my fault. I needed to make him feel better. He's basically Jade, and I wouldn't want her to feel this way. Then I realized something. John really is pretty much Jade. The only difference was some chromosomes. They basically had the same DNA. John was basically Jade. This made me switch perspectives. I needed to save Jade. I couldn't save her before, but I could now… with John. John. Jade.

"I'm sorry." I sighed and sat on the floor next to him. I pulled him into a gentle hug for some comfort. I wanted him to quit crying. He needed to man up a little.

"Shhhhh. It's ok Ja-John." I had just barely caught myself. He didn't seem to notice my slip-up. Good. That was good.

I waited until he had regained his composure then let him go and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go eat something then go to bed. You need it."

"But, Dave, I don't want anything to eat."

"You're gonna eat, John, even if I have to shove something down your throat." I pulled him downstairs and made some more sandwiches. I made him eat a whole one. I didn't let him leave the table until it was all gone. It took him about 5 minutes to give in. It took him another 45 minutes to finish it.

We walked upstairs and went into our respective bedrooms after saying goodnight. It was going to be a difficult two weeks simply due to the fact that it had only been one day, but I felt rather unwilling to leave. I drifted into a deep sleep with a subtle smirk pulling at my lips.

**A/N *laughs for twenty years because I did it anyways***


	4. Chapter 4

John's POV

I woke up in the middle of the night to my stomach rolling. I ran out of my room, down the hallway, and into the bathroom. I flicked the switch as I ran in and haphazardly fell in front of the toilet moments before my stomach contents made its way back up my throat. It hurt. It burned. I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I held my stomach tightly. Just when I thought it might be over, I threw up more. I was sweating and crying without meaning to. My hair was sticking to my forehead in clumps. I was shaking uncontrollably.

The hall light came on as I puked again, and I heard the sound of Dave's feet hitting the floor. "John? What's going on? It's like, three." He walked in and instantly jumped over and pushed my hair away from my face. "Dude!" I just kept throwing up again and again. I shouldn't have had anything else in my stomach after the first or second time, but it just kept coming. This wasn't right.

My stomach eventually settled, but it still hurt. I noted the taste in my mouth: acidic and metallic. How odd. "Ugh. If you weren't feeling good, you should have told me. I could have given you some medicine or something." Dave got a washcloth from a cabinet and wet it with cold water. "Look at me, John." I pulled my head up, spitting, then turned to face him. He didn't move. I knew I had vomit on my face, but he should have expected that. He didn't move though. "John, can you stand?" He kept staring at me while he said it.

"I think so." I sounded weird, and the longer I sat there, the more it felt like something was in my nose. Maybe I got a little puke up there.

"Get up." He wiped my mouth quickly and ran out of the bathroom. "GET UP!" He yelled from down the hall. I stood and turned to flush the toilet. I found out why he stared. I understood why he didn't move. I had just puked up a bunch of blood. That explains the metallic taste on my tongue, but where was it from?

It felt like the thing in my nose was starting to come out. Like I was having a snot issue. I looked in the mirror to find myself having a nosebleed. It wasn't too bad, but it started getting worse. I held my face over the sink because only a few seconds later my nose started spewing like a faucet. I pinched my nostrils shut in hopes that it would stop. Something really wasn't right here.

"Dave." I tried to speak loud, but I was having to fight against the blood starting to come into my mouth. I let my nose go, it was useless. I was spitting and trying not to be too messy. Dave came in a few seconds later. He was fully dressed and had my shoes and a robe and a blanket in his hands.

"John, what the hell is even going on?" He was extremely distressed. He had his shades on top of his head, so I could see all of the emotions in his eyes. He was scared.

"I don't know what's happening." He was scrambling for towels. Upon finding one, he held it to my face and helped me into the robe. He wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and squatted to put on my shoes. I held the towel tightly to my face. We were going to need more than just this. It was filling up quickly. "Where are we going?" I asked weakly.

"Hospital." He finished lacing up my sneakers and grabbed more towels, which he handed to me. I started walking slowly towards the staircase while Dave ran in my bedroom for my glasses and a little trash can. He hooked my glasses onto his shirt and caught up with me, putting his free arm around my torso to keep me steady. We got to the door and he grabbed the keys to his rental car on the way out.

After helping me in, Dave ran around and hopped in the driver's seat, made sure I was buckled in, and sped off down the road. He was careful about his speed while he was in the neighborhood, but when we hit the freeway he was going way too fast. Luckily, there weren't way too many people driving around.

The usual twenty minute drive to the hospital had turned into a ten minute one, and Dave parked as close to the emergency room entrance as he could. He flicked down his shades and helped me out of the car. We walked slowly. Everything was getting kind of dark, darker than it already was at least. "Dave."

"Yeah, John." He looked down at me and me up at him. He had already pushed all emotion and expression from his face, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I can't..." He looked like his face was at the end of a hallway.

"Can't what?" He sounded like he was underwater, or maybe like I was underwater.

"See…" I could barely see anything at all. "Hear…" Everything turned completely black, and all I heard were muffled screams. It was like being plunged into a dark pool. It was almost like being asleep. I couldn't feel my body. Time was nonexistent. For all I knew, I was standing at home. Maybe I was at school. I didn't know. It was just black, but I could have been anywhere. It felt like I had water in my ears. I couldn't recognize the voices swimming around me. I could vaguely hear them, but I couldn't make out what they were saying or who they were. I was just stuck here with no time and no feeling. It was frightening, and I wanted to wake up.


	5. Chapter 5

Dave's POV

He looked almost peaceful. I knew that I didn't. John was sleeping and stable, but I was too scared to sleep. I had to drag him into the ER because he passed out before we got to the door. Then I had to wait for hours while they tried to figure out what was happening to him. They cauterized his nose and checked out his stomach. They gave him several units of blood. They took a couple vials of blood for testing and put him in a bed. I had been sitting here next to him, and hand over his, rubbing slow circles into it. I said stuff to him occasionally, but he wasn't awake to hear any of it.

It had to have been my fault somehow. I felt so guilty. I shouldn't have made him eat. I should have kept a closer eye on him. I canceled all of my DJ-ing gigs, and called my bro to have more stuff shipped to John's. I was definitely staying more than two weeks. He needed to get over this first, and if I left him alone, he would most certainly die.

The slight movement of fingers brought me back to reality. John was stirring. He hadn't opened his eyes, but his face was screwing up, and he was making grunting noises. He must be in some pain. "Dave." He barely said it. Like, he was still dreaming and unconsciously called out for me. I poked his face.

"John. John, wake up, Man. You gotta tell me how you're feeling. Can't have you kickin' the bucket yet." He barely opened his eyes. Just enough to tell that it was too bright for him.

"Stomach. Hurts." He grunted some more and kept making different expressions.

"I bet it does. It had it rough last night. I don't think they can give you anything for it yet." He was looking at me and the things in the room.

"Oh." He had forgotten. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure yet, Bro. They should be getting your blood-work back in an hour or two. They gave you like two units of the stuff. They think it has something to do with you not eating." He stared at the floor with an pained look. "Other than your stomach hurting, do you feel ok?"

"My whole body hurts, but my stomach hurts the worst. My nose burns too."

"Yeah. They cauterized it."

"Hmm?"

"Burned it. It wouldn't quit gushing your precious life nectar." That got a laugh and a slight smile out of him.

"I think you should stick to sarcasm and irony and leave the jokes to me, haha." His voice cracked here and there, but at least he could speak.

We conversed more, and my heart was eased. He seemed to be doing just fine. A doctor came in eventually and announced that he had Thrombocytopenia, a low platelet count, and they would be giving him a unit to help his body out. They also told us that the bleeding in his stomach was caused by some ulcers that, when bleeding, didn't clot thanks to his low platelet count. His nose was the same thing.

They told John not to worry TOO much about it, but he needed to eat more. He may get more nosebleeds, bruises (which currently covered his face, legs, and arms, thanks to a hug from the asphalt and the stabbing of needles), and really just more bleeding in general. They decided to keep him a few more days for observation. Apparently this sudden hemorrhaging could happen anywhere in his body, so they wanted to watch him some to avoid any other complications.

After his platelet transplant was through, and another giant bruise was added to his hand, he got several scans done and a few more tests to make sure his organs were functioning properly. He had a little spot of blood in his head, probably from that big snuggle with the parking lot, but they weren't overly concerned about it. He could clot better, and therefore his body would most likely fix it on its own. His heart was a little strained, but it was still doing its job. All of his other organs looked fine for now.

They did confirm that he was anorexic. I knew he was, but hearing it from a doctor made it more real. They told him if he didn't start eating more he would die, and that all of his current problems were based around it. He was starting to grow lanugo hair. The doctor said it was pretty much his body using a last resort to keep warm. He would be covered in white, fluffy hair in a few days, mainly his back, chest, arms, and face.

After the doctor left, I pulled off my shades. "John."

"Yeah?"

"This needs to stop." He look he gave me could only be described as an angry kindergartener.

"Do you understand that none of this was intentional?!" He was getting pretty mad. That didn't take much.

"What I do understand is that you aren't eating because you blame yourself for everyone dying. It's self punishment, and you did nothing wrong, so it needs to stop."

"You act like I'm trying to be this way! It is my fault! I was the one that begged Jake to visit! If I hadn't bothered him so much none of this would have happened!" His voice kept cracking more and more.

"You couldn't have prevented it, John! GET OFF YOUR HIGH-HORSE!"

"WHAT HIGH-HORSE!"

"YOUR DAMN VICTIM HIGH-HORSE! You aren't the only one that lost people that day…" I rubbed my face. "I planned on marrying Jade… When I turned 18 I was going to come up here and demand that your father give her to me... I loved her so much… And Jake…"

"What about Jake? You couldn't have known him." I peeked at John through my fingers. His eyebrows were furrowed, but he had calmed down a tad bit.

"I did know him. Bro was his best bud. Jake used to come to Houston all the time just to hang with him. They might have even had a thing at one point. For weeks after the accident, Bro and I would fight on the roof almost nonstop. I actually beat him a lot up there. Because I was so angry, I forced my way through any defenses. Because he was so upset, he didn't try too hard to block anything. I almost knocked him clear off the roof once. Would have been a Bro-cake on the sidewalk for sure."

"I didn't know…"

"I know." He leaned back into his pillows and sighed loudly. "John, this has to stop."

"…I know."


	6. Chapter 6

John's POV

I sat there, not speaking. "John?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's talk about the good times." That seemed all right. Remember the good stuff, and try to forget the bad.

"You start."

"When I first spoke to Jade she said something really, really funny. I had sent her a picture of me, and she instantly said 'Wow. Does hotness run in the Strider family? Dang.' and I thought that was hilarious because I never expected her to say anything like that. She was impulsive, and it was adorable. When she sent a picture of her, I said, 'Wow. Does cuteness run in the Egbert family? Dang.' to which she said 'You should see my brother,' but I already had." Dave smiled at me.

"Let's just talk about Jade. Once when we were like six she told our dad that she wanted a lab set. He got her one of those little kits where you mix powers to change the colors. She got REALLY mad and explained that she wanted a big lab with a plethora of acids, and other chemicals to mix to her heart's content. It was so funny, and Dad was SO confused." He laughed a little.

"She was smart. She once told me that she had caught a frog, named it Frost, and put in an aquarium. She then proceeded to tell me about how upset she was when she found out your dad had put it outside when she went to sleep."

"OH, I REMEMBER THAT! SHE WAS SOOO ANGRY!"

"Your turn." He smiled more.

"Umm. When we were fifteen I wrote her a song and played it for her on our piano."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I called it LOFAF. Land of Frogs and Frost."

"Do you remember the words?"

"Some of them."

"…Can you sing it for me?" I thought for a moment.

"Sure." I sat and thought more, trying to find the words. "Land of frost and frogs, so cold, so full of amphibians. Jade, my sister, Dear, don't fret this is your new found home." Dave started lightly beat boxing the tune. "Ever more jumping, leaping, dashing all along the snow. Collect them all, one by one, and make the genesis frog." I couldn't remember any more so I stopped.

"Wow. I like your voice." I smiled.

"Thank you. Jade really liked it. I wish I could remember the rest."

"What's a genesis frog?"

"Something Jade dreamt about once upon a time." I was getting tired. The medicine I had been given was finally kicking in.

"Cool. What did she think of your song?" I started drifting off into sleep.

"She loved it… Goodnight, Dave…"

"It's only 2 PM, but goodnight, Bro." I closed my eyes and smiled because all I could see was my beautiful sister dancing and singing to her very own song.


	7. Chapter 7

Dave's POV

I watched John fall gently into unconsciousness. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned into a smile. I wondered what he was dreaming of. It could be anything. He could be imagining the most peaceful things or things more horrific than death. The smile suggested the previous.

I was exhausted. I tried not to show it when John was awake, but I hadn't slept since I laid down the previous night, and I had only slept a few hours before he woke me up by viciously throwing his guts up. It usually wouldn't have bothered me. When I was at home, it was Strider rule to go to sleep no earlier than two A.M. and wake up no earlier than noon with the exception being school nights, and those were long gone. The only reason the lack of Z's was fazing me was the big scare I got. Running to put on clothes, running to put some shoes and stuff on John, grabbing glasses and supplies, having to drive to the hospital without being 100% sure on where it was, John passing out on me, dragging him into the ER, not knowing what was happening.

I just sat there in the chair next to his bed. I was dirty. I had thoroughly scrubbed my arms and hands of blood, but I had nothing to replace my shirt, which was covered in the stuff. I would worry about it later. I cringed, the chair legs screeched across the floor when I scooted it closer to the bed. My face met the blanket, when I leaned forward, and I crossed my arms around my head for more comfort. Sleep came quickly.

It was about 5 PM when I woke up. I could have slept longer, but I was getting uncomfortable. I wrote a note and sat it on the table next to John. "This is just to in case you wake up, Man. I'll be back later. Gonna shower, get some stuff, and come right back. – Dave"

The drive was unbearably quite. I had to blare some rap just to make myself feel comfortable. Once a complete change of clothes was in hand, I went to the bathroom and turned on the water. I stripped down to my birthday suit and got in the shower. The water was a nice degree at first; hot and cold all the way up. I washed my hair quickly.

When the shampoo was completely out of my hair, I twisted and reached for the knob controlling the cold water. I slowly turned it to the right until it was completely off. The temperature changed in almost a second, and I stood there and took it. I could feel that water burning fiery lines from my shoulders, down my back, and to my feet. It hurt, but I stayed still. I had been doing this since Jade died. Every shower I took went in this order. Wash hair, then only scalding water. I would stay in until the punishment turned cold or I couldn't take it anymore. I turned around and flinched when the heat hit me. I deserved it.

My self discipline chilled, and I put on my fresh clothes, my skin still scorching and steaming. I quickly combed my hair and brushed my teeth before leaving the bathroom.

I found John's old backpack and dumped in out on the floor, making a mental note to pick it all up later. I put a spare outfit in it for him and a few shirts for me. I grabbed some notebooks, pens, and a camera that I had brought with me. Did we need anything else? Wallet, check. Clothes, check. Shades, check. Entertainment, check. Phones and chargers, double check. I put on my shoes and made my way back to the hospital.

In the door, up the elevator, and down the hall to my sickly nerd. He was awake when I walked in. "Yo, I brought some stuff. You now have a change of clothes for when we can go home, and we have paper and stuff to write or draw with. I didn't know what you would want to do, so I just grabbed some stuff."

"Ok. Thank you, Dave."

"Don't sweat it, Man." I grabbed the camera, a big polaroid cause I'm cool like that, from the backpack and sat next to John.

"Dave, what are you-" I turned and leaned back so our temples where touching and held the camera above us.

"Shut up and smile." *Click* The picture was spit from the slot, and I waved it back and forth to help it develop. A few minutes later, I had the perfect image. There was a smirk on my face, and John looked nerdy, but it was lovely. I pulled out a pen and wrote "Egderp needs to get better Oct '15" on the bottom.


End file.
